"Yakos, right?"
"Be my underling."
Before Yakos could process what was happening, Yeyin spoke directly.
"What?!"
"Are you joking? You want me to be your underling?!"
"I'm a pirate, and you want me to be your underling?"
Yakos, who had been puzzled a moment ago, suddenly exploded with anger upon hearing this.
Aside from having his own dreams, his identity also made him resistant. In Yakos's eyes, the Navy was nothing more than the lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons! The justice they upheld was just a guise for protecting the Celestial Dragons' interests.
"Yes, be my underling."
Yeyin scratched his ear and spoke casually, as if it was no big deal.
"Hey, hey!"
"Are you even listening? I don't want to be your underling!"
"I have no fondness for the Navy at all!"
Yakos suddenly realized he'd fallen into a strange trap. He had initially intended to fight Yeyin, but somehow, they were now tangled up in whether he should become Yeyin's underling.
"If you become my underling, I promise those nobles will be dealt with."
Yeyin added.
"Huh?"
"But you're a Navy officer! Can you even say things like that?"
Yakos was momentarily thrown off. What was this guy talking about?
Could it be that this guy is a Navy traitor?
"I'm a Navy officer; I'm not going to deal with them directly."
"The one dealing with them is you."
Yeyin replied again.
...
For a moment, everyone on Yakos's ship was stunned.
At that moment, Hina and her crew arrived. Hearing Yeyin's suggestion, they all froze as well.
Encouraging a pirate to target nobles… If this got out, it wouldn't end well!
"By the way, I'll keep your names on record."
"But for now, you're all part of the Navy. Hunting dragons isn't something we'll be doing just yet."
Yeyin said calmly.
After all, he was secretly the boss behind the revolutionary army! Facing the Celestial Dragons was only a matter of time.
Moreover, the Navy's definition of absolute justice had become muddled after the incident in Ohara. Many Navy officers had abandoned their commitment to justice, like Garp, Tsuru, and Sengoku...
These powerful figures had seen the truth but chose not to rebel, instead holding onto their personal sense of justice.
Was it due to a lack of courage?
No.
It was because they understood that, if chaos broke out, the ones who would suffer the most would be the civilians. Knowing this, they chose not to act.
"Do you really want to take us in?"
"We're pirates!"
"We…"
"From today, you're no longer pirates!"
"You're my, Captain Yeyin's, deputies!"
As Yeyin spoke, he walked over to Hina, reaching out his hand.
"Hina understands."
Seeing Yeyin's gesture, Hina quickly went to the storage room and returned with a Navy uniform.
"Here."
Yeyin took the Navy uniform, walked over to Yakos, and handed it to him.
"I…"
"I'd like to think about it. After all…"
"I'll give you three minutes to talk it over with your crew."
"As for the identity issue, don't worry—I'll handle it."
Yeyin said, placing the uniform in Yakos's hand before turning and heading back to his own ship.
(End of chapter)